Brownout Report 2005

Home , Antonio Mora, Art Rascon, Jim Acosta

Report prepared for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists

Network Brownout Report 2005:

The Portrayal of Latinos & Latino Issues on Network Television News, 2004 With a Retrospect to 1995

Quantitative & Qualitative Analysis of the Coverage

BY FEDERICO SUBERVI, Ph.D.

WITH JOSEPH TORRES & DANIELA MONTALVO, NAHJ STAFF

JUNE 2005 AUSTIN, TEXAS & WASHINGTON, DC Table of Contents

About the Authors ...... 2 Acknowledgements ...... 2 Introduction ...... 3 Executive Summary ...... 4 Findings ...... 6 Part 1. Quantitative Assessments ...... 6 Overall Numbers of Stories ...... 6 Topics Covered ...... 7 Time Dedicated to Latino Stories ...... 7 Latino Reporters ...... 8 Number of Sources and Balance of Views ...... 9 Presence and Voices of Latinos on Camera ...... 10 Unidentifiable Latinos ...... 11 Locations ...... 11 Part 2. Critical Viewing of Latino Stories ...... 12 Part 3. Other Representations of Latinos in the News ...... 13 Part 4. Comparisons with Two Sample Weeks of Network Coverage ...... 14 Part 5. A Ten-Year Retrospect ...... 15 Conclusions ...... 18 Methodology ...... 19 Limitations ...... 20 End Notes ...... 21

ABOUT THE AUTHORS tion dedicated to helping empower Latina youth via media and technology; and, as of July 2005, full professor Dr. Federico Subervi, a native of Puerto Rico, lives in Austin, at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas, where he is a media consultant and scholar. For more Texas State University in San Marcos. than twenty years, he has been teaching, conducting research, and publishing on issues related to the mass media Joseph Torres and Daniela Montalvo are members of and ethnic groups, especially Latinos in the United States. the NAHJ staff. Torres is NAHJ’s deputy director of com- He is the director of the Latinos and Media Project (www.lati- munication and media policy and Montalvo is NAHJ’s nosandmedia.org); chair of the board of Latinitas Inc., a web- communication and research coordinator. based magazine (www.latinitasmagazine.org) and organiza-

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Joseph Gonzalez, a graduate from William and Mary, who assisted with the coding of data. The author and the NAHJ would like to extend a special note of gratitude to Diane Alverio, former NAHJ presi- Funding for this report was made available by the dent, who established the report’s baseline. This study National Association of Hispanic Journalists. For more builds on the work she conducted dating back to 1996. information, please contact: NAHJ, 529 14th Street, NW, We extend our thanks to the Project for Excellence in Washington, DC, 20045-2001. 202-662-7145, Journalism for providing us with a copy of their code www.nahj.org guide on the balance of views and sources variables adopted for this study. We would also like to thank

2 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 Introduction

NAHJ’s 2005 Network Brownout Report failed to reflect the reality of these groups. The examines the nation’s major English-language Brownout Report has found that the Latino television networks’ – ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN community continues to be covered through a – coverage of Latinos and Latino-related issues narrow prism even though this group has grown on their evening news programs in 2004. This exponentially. According to the Pew Hispanic year marks the 10th anniversary of this study. Center, Latinos in the United States numbered A retrospective review is included in this install- 22.3 million in 1990 but now comprise 40.4 mil- ment. lion, a 58 percent increase. The U.S. Census Since this report was first published in 1996, estimates that by 2050, Latinos will number NAHJ has found that Latinos remain underrepre- 102.5 million and comprise 24.4 percent of the sented and often stereotypically portrayed by country’s population. the news networks. In short, Latinos have Acceptable news coverage of Latinos is an remained virtually invisible and marginalized on issue of fairness and accuracy. Stories on illegal the network evening news. immigration or Latino gangs may not be inaccu- The goals of the report are to bring greater rate, but this becomes unfair when it comprises awareness to the portrayal of Latinos and to an overabundance of coverage. This issue of urge the networks to increase their coverage of accurate news coverage is crucial because more issues affecting the Latino community. than 30 million people watch the evening news The problem of poor media coverage of and are influenced by these programs. While Latinos and people of color is historic. In 1947, the media landscape is dramatically changing, the Commission on Freedom of the Press, the evening news still plays a prominent role in known as the Hutchins Commission, outlined the determining issues covered across a range of responsibilities of the news media in a democra- media platforms. tic society. Among its five major recommenda- The networks’ coverage has failed to reflect tions, the Commission stated that the press the changes in U.S. society and the Latino com- should project a “representative picture of the munity since NAHJ issued its first Brownout constituent groups in the society.” Twenty years Report in 1996. later, President Lyndon Johnson appointed The 2005 report begins with quantitative the National Advisory Commission on Civil findings of Latino stories from 2004. Part two Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission, to presents the qualitative findings of Latino sto- examine the causes of the riots that erupted ries. Part three provides an overview of Latinos across the country in the late 1960s. Among its as secondary or background subjects. Part four major findings, the Kerner Commission conclud- presents an analysis of Latino-related stories ed that the media’s inaccurate portrayals and and a content audit of two sample weeks of misrepresentations of the black community network news coverage. Part five offers a retro- contributed to the racial divisions in our nation. spect of the past decade. The report closes Both the Hutchins and Kerner Commissions with conclusion and recommendation sections, urged the nation’s news media to improve their followed by the study’s methodology and limita- coverage of minority communities.1 tions. Since then, coverage of people of color has

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 3 Executive Summary

This year’s report examines news stories Latino coverage lacked depth, with one about Latinos and Latino issues that aired in third (33 percent) of all stories lasting 2004 on ABC World News Tonight with Peter 30 seconds or less. Jennings, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, Only six Latino stories featured Latino NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw (later Brian reporters. Four were Telemundo journalists Williams) and CNN NewsNight with Aaron reporting for NBC. Brown. In addition, this report examines the networks’ weekend newscasts. Out of 115 Latino stories, 47 (41 percent) As in prior studies, Latino-related stories featured visual images of groups of uniden- were identified by searching Vanderbilt tified Latinos. Of the 47 stories, 31 (66 per- University’s Television News Archive. Other net- cent) featured immigrants, including images works, such as Fox and MSNBC, are not fully of illegal border crossings. archived at the university and thus are not Latinos did not often appear in non-Latino- included. related stories. Out of an estimated 16,000 The 2004 report contains quantitative and news stories in 2004, Latinos appeared as qualitative assessments of news stories about sources in only 265 non-Latino-related Latinos. NAHJ also performed a content analy- stories (1.7 percent). sis of news coverage that aired during the weeks of February 16-20, 2004 and March 1-5, A significant proportion of Latino stories 2004. Finally, the report compares coverage of lacked diversity of opinion. Of 115 stories, Latinos in 1995 and in 2004, plus the patterns more than one third (41 stories) did not of coverage during the last decade. cite a single source. Of the stories using sources, 40 percent (46 stories) presented mostly one perspective. The quantitative analysis of the 2004 network news showed: Critical viewing of Latino stories Of the estimated 16,000 stories that aired found: on ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC in 2004, only 115, or 0.72 percent, were exclusively Immigration was a central theme in much about Latinos. By comparison, the networks of the networks’ coverage, regardless of story aired 131 Latino-related stories (0.82 per- topic. Most immigration stories focused on cent) in 2003. undocumented immigration. Many showed images of unidentified groups of undocument- Out of a total of 548 hours of network news ed immigrants crossing the border illegally or in 2004, only three hours and 25 minutes being arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol. were devoted to Latino stories – a decline from 2003, when four hours and two Overall, Latinos were viewed as problem minutes were devoted to Latino stories. people and burdens to society in 2004. One out of every three Latino stories As in 2003, Latino soldiers were portrayed (34.7 percent) was about immigration in as patriots and victims willing to sacrifice 2004. More than one hour of coverage was for their country. devoted to the topic, making up almost a third (31.6 percent) of the total time (three Stories on Latinos and politics focused on hours 25 minutes) devoted to Latino stories. the use of Spanish by the presidential candidates and portrayed Latinos as a mono- One positive trend: crime stories sharply lithic group of voters. Issues important to decreased in 2004, dropping from 27 Latinos were virtually ignored. stories in 2003 to 9 stories last year. Networks continued to use the theme of Half of all Latino stories (58 out of 115 the American dream to frame stories about stories) did not feature an interview with a Latinos, without providing more substantive Latino. coverage.

4 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 Content analysis of sample weeks Out of 1,201 stories about Latinos, only of network news coverage found: 42 (3.5 percent) have been covered by Latino journalists over the past 10 years. Latinos were nearly absent from general news coverage. Out of 115 stories NAHJ Conclusion: examined during two sample weeks, only two were about Latinos (both about base- The country is undergoing an historic demo- ball player Alex Rodriguez), and only two graphic shift, yet network coverage has failed stories featured an interview with a Latino. to explain this change and its impact on our society. We fear viewers watching the network news have learned very little about the Latino Ten-year retrospect found: community since we issued our first Network Brownout Report in 1996. From 1995 to 2004, the networks aired an What viewers have learned is that too often estimated 140,000 stories. Of those, only Latinos are portrayed as problem people living 1,201 stories, or 0.85%, were about Latinos. on the fringes of U.S. society. Rarely do we see Immigration and crime have been the stories about the positive contributions of dominant topics for Latino stories over the Latinos. past 10 years. Out of 1,201 stories, these two topics have accounted for 36 percent of coverage.

Coverage of Latinos has not advanced since 1995. The networks still explore the same issues and themes in coverage of the Latino community, such as undocumented immigration and the growing influence of the Latino vote.

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 5 Findings

PART 1. The Quantitative Assessments

This section presents the results of the quan- NBC slightly increased its coverage of titative assessment of Latino-related stories. Latinos with 33 stories in 2004, compared Specifically, information is provided on story to 27 in 2003. frequency, story topic, story length, use of ABC increased its coverage to 30 stories, Latino reporters and anchors, number of up from 27. sources used in each story, balance of views of opinions presented and overall statistics on CBS’s coverage declined from 30 stories in the presence of Latinos in Latino stories. 2003 to 23 in 2004. In almost every category, the results show declining coverage of Latinos and Latino issues, CNN’s coverage decreased from 47 stories despite the rapid growth of the U.S. Latino in 2003 to 29 stories last year. population. NAHJ remains troubled by the dearth of Overall Number of Stories coverage of Latinos since the inception of this report. Latinos remain practically invisible on the This year, NAHJ found that stories about nation’s nightly news programs, even though Latinos and Latino issues made up less than they comprise 14 percent of the U.S. popula- 1 percent of all nightly news coverage. This tion. The U.S. Census projects that Latinos will pattern repeats itself in nine of the 10 years make up 17.8 percent of the population by we have conducted this report. 2020 and 24.4 percent by 2050. In 2004, out of an estimated 16,000 news Stories about Latinos should make up a stories that aired on the ABC, CBS, NBC, and greater percentage of network coverage. We CNN evening newscasts, a scant 115 stories, or are concerned about the impact their near 0.72 percent, focused centrally and exclusively absence will have on our country and on the on Latinos or Latino-related issues.2 majority of U.S. citizens and residents who This represents a significant decrease from receive their news from watching TV. 2003, when 131 stories (0.82 percent) were exclusively about Latinos. Among the networks:

Table 1. Overall distribution of stories by number, time, and length

Network ABC CBS NBC CNN Total

Number of stories 30 23 33 29 115 Total time in minutes 51:36 39:09 1h 6m 6s 48:41 3h 25m 32s Average minutes per story 1:43 1:41 2:11 1:41 1:49 Distribution by seconds n (%) n (%) n (%) n (%) n (%) < 30 seconds 10 (33) 8 (36) 6 (18) 14 (48) 38 (33) 30–59 seconds 2 (7) 2 (6) 4 (4) 60-119 seconds 1 (3) 4 (18) 2 (6) 7 (6) 120-179 seconds 13 (43) 8 (35) 19 (57) 9 (31) 49 (43) 180+ seconds 4 (13) 3 (14) 4 (12) 6 (21) 17 (15)

6 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 Topics Covered Latinos from a myriad of perspectives and to seek out more Latino viewpoints in all their In 2004, four story topics made up the coverage, regardless of story topic. majority of coverage about Latinos (see Table One positive trend was the decline in cover- 2). Immigration made up more than one third age of crime stories involving Latinos (nine of all stories, with 40 (34.7 percent). Human- stories in 2004 as opposed to 27 in 2003). This interest stories finished a distant second (14 contradicts historic patterns. Stories about crime stories or 12.2 percent) followed by homeland have numbered more than 20 in seven of the security (12 stories or 10.4 percent) and elec- 10 years of the Brownout Report. tions and politics (10 stories or 8.7 percent). The dominant topic, immigration, focused Time Devoted to Latino Stories mostly on undocumented immigration. Many stories focused on President Bush’s proposal for The total amount of time devoted to coverage a new temporary worker program. Even though of Latinos continues to be dismal. Of the 548 40 stories were explicitly about immigration, the hours devoted to network news in 2004, only topic had a much larger presence since it was a 3 hours and 25 minutes, or 0.62 percent, were central theme in framing a number of stories dedicated to stories exclusively about Latinos.3 about Latinos, regardless of topic. For instance This represents a 37 minute decrease from 2003. coverage of the Hispanic vote focused on the Out of three hours and 25 minutes of airtime, presidential candidates’ position on immigration four topics (immigration, human interest, elec- and ignored other issues affecting the com- tion/politics and homeland security) accounted munity. for 68 percent (more than two hours) of coverage NAHJ understands immigration is a critical (see Table 3). Specifically, immigration stories issue that must be covered. Even so, the net- made up more than an hour and 30 minutes of works have failed to cover a wider range of coverage (close to a third of the airtime for issues affecting Latinos due to their excessive, Latino stories). The networks’ coverage is inade- and at times obsessive, coverage of immigra- quate because Latinos are portrayed within a tion. limited framework that fails to address a range We challenge the U.S. news media to cover of issues affecting the community.

Table 2. Distribution of number and (%) of exclusively Latino stories by topic

Network ABC CBS NBC CNN Total Arts, Culture 1 (3.0) 1 (.87) Business/Economy 1 (3.0) 1 (.87) Calamities (disasters) 1 (3.0) 1 (3.4) 2 (1.7) Crime 2 (6.7) 2 (8.7) 2 (6.1) 3 (10.3) 9 (7.8) Education 1 (4.3) 1 (3.0) 2 (1.7) Election/Politics 2 (6.7) 2 ( 8.7) 5 (15.2) 1 (3.4) 10 (8.7) Government: Domestic 2 (6.7) 2 ( 8.7) 2 (6.1) 3 (10.3) 9 (7.8) Government: Foreign 2 (6.7) 1 (3.0) 1 (3.4) 4 (3.5) Health/Medical/Science 2 ( 8.7) 2 (1.7) Homeland Security 3 (10.0) 2 ( 8.7) 4 (12.1) 3 (10.3) 12 (10.4) Human Interest 3 (10.0) 4 (17.4) 2 (6.1) 5 (17.2) 14 (12.2) Immigration 12 (40.0) 7 (30.4) 11 (33.3) 10 (34.5) 40 (34.7) Sports 3 (10.0) 1 (4.3) 3 (9.1) 2 (6.9) 9 (7.8) Total 30 (26.3) 23 (20) 33 (28.9) 29 (25.4) 115

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 7 Shorter Stories Latino Reporters Another negative trend was that Latino Only six stories about Latino issues featured stories lasting 30 seconds or less comprised Latino reporters in 2004 compared to nine in 33 percent of stories in 2004, compared to 2003. These stories made up slightly more than 24 percent in 2003. At CNN, practically half 14 minutes of coverage last year, compared to (48 percent) of its stories about Latinos were 21 minutes in 2003 (see Table 4).4 Four stories less than 30 seconds – 10 percent more than in in 2004 featured Telemundo journalists report- 2003 (see Table 1). ing for NBC, their parent company. The biggest shift was at ABC, where Latino NAHJ applauds NBC for using Telemundo stories under 30 seconds increased to 33 per- reporters. We were disappointed, however, that cent, up from 11 percent in 2003. Furthermore, the only stories these reporters covered related the percentage of stories longer than two to immigration. We understand that immigra- minutes dropped from 65 percent in 2003 to tion is a major social and political issue, but 56 percent in 2004. NBC had the opportunity to use Telemundo The rise in the number of short stories about reporters for other types of stories. For exam- Latinos and the decrease in total time devoted ple, these reporters could have covered elec- to Latino stories signal two critical points. First, tion-related stories given that 2004 was a presi- while the U.S. Latino population is increasing dential election year. (not only in population but also in purchasing CBS and CNN each had one story covered power and in the political arena), the time the by a Latino reporter. ABC had none. Six Latino networks devote to Latinos has decreased. stories, however, aired on ABC with Elizabeth Second, airing shorter stories is problematic Vargas as the anchor. because it produces a ripple effect in the quality NAHJ is disappointed by the dearth of of coverage. Less time is devoted to story Latino reporters covering Latino stories. We are development. Fewer sources and perspectives not suggesting that only Latino reporters can are explored. Fewer Latinos are seen or heard. cover these stories. But it is clear that few

Table 3. Number of minutes and (average number of minutes) of exclusively Latino stories by topic

Topics Networks ABC CBS NBC CNN Total

Arts, Culture 3:57 (3:57) 3:57 (3:57) Business/Economy :24 (:24) :24 (0:24) Calamities (disasters) 2:06 (2:06) :22 (:22) 2:28 (1:14) Crime 0:51 (0:26) 2:08 (1:04) 4:17 (2:09) 4:15 (1:25) 11:31 (1:17) Education 2:10 (2:10) 2:29 (2:29) 4:39 (2:20) Election/Politics 4:55 (2:28) 5:50 (2:55) 11:07 (2:13) :19 (:19) 22:11 (1:13) Government: Domestic 3:24 (1:42) 2:40 (1:20) 2:38 (1:19) 7:13 (2:24) 15:55 (1:46) Government: Foreign 2:38 (1:19) :28 (:28) :29 (:29) 3:35 (0:54) Health/Med/Science 4:15 (2:08) 4:15 (2:08) Homeland Security 5:37 (1:52) 2:09 (1:05) 8:53 (2:13) 5:03 (1:41) 21:42 (1:46) Human Interest 5:42 (1:54) 7:04 (1:46) 4:45 (2:23) 15:20 (2:19) 32:51 (2:21) Immigration 19:54 (1:40) 10:47 (1:32) 21:05 (1:55) 13:08 (1:28) 64:54 (1:39) Sports 4:38 (1:33) 2:06 (2:06) 7:54 (2:38) 2:32 (1:16) 17:10 (1:59) Totals 51:36 (1:43) 39:09 (1:41) 1h6m6s (2:11) 48:41 (1:41) 3h25m32s (1:49)

8 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 Table 4. Latino reporters in Latino-related stories by network, topic, date, minutes and location of report

Reporter Network Topic Date Minutes Location Vince Gonzales CBS Hispanic Development 4/14 1:38 Los Angeles, CA *Gustavo Mariel NBC Guest Worker Program 2/15 2:16 Brownsville, TX *Lori Montenegro NBC Illegal Immigration/Education 5/23 2:29 Washington, D.C. *Mariela Salgado NBC Immigration Law/Jerez 8/7 2:45 Jerez, Guatemala & U.S. *Angie Sandoval NBC Flights for Mexican Deportation 9/19 2:30 Mexico City & U.S./Mexico border Thelma Gutierrez CNN Mr. Mom/Figueroa 5/23 2:57 California

*= Telemundo reporter

Latinos work at the networks. NAHJ believes interview with a Latino, meaning half of Latino this is a major reason the networks continue to stories had no Latino input. fail in diversifying its coverage. One positive change was that, compared to In addition, NAHJ has no idea of the number 2003, a greater number of stories contained or percentage of Latino journalists working at one or more sources (64 percent vs. 57 per- the networks. The networks have refused cent). Another positive change for 2004 was NAHJ’s repeated requests to make their news- that more stories included a mixture of opinions room figures public. Once again, we call on the compared to 2003 (18 percent vs. 8 percent). networks to release their figures. Even so, the majority of Latino stories in 2004 (72 percent) either contained one opinion or Number of Sources contained no viewpoints or perspectives (the “not applicable” category in Table 6). This and Balance of Views number becomes even higher when stories that This year, more than a third of Latino stories had mostly one opinion are added (10 percent). (41 out of 115 or 36 percent) had no sources, In summary, 82 percent of Latino stories either meaning no one was interviewed or comment- had no viewpoint or one dominant viewpoint. ed during a story except for the reporter or the Stories with mixed, diverse opinions were scarce anchor (see Table 5). Perhaps more disturbing, meaning that Latino stories lacked different 58 Latino stories (50 percent) did not feature an sources and perspectives.

Table 5. Number of stories (and percentages) for each network by number of sources used for news exclusively about Latinos

No. of Network sources ABC CBS NBC CNN Totals none 11 (37) 8 (35) 8 (24) 14 (48) 41 (36) 1 2 (7) 1 (4) 2 (6) 3 (10) 8 (7) 2 4 (13) 4 (17) 4 (12) 2 (7) 14 (12) 3 3 (10) 3 (13) 9 (27) 2 (7) 17 (15) 4 or more 10 (33) 7 (30) 10 (30) 8 (28) 35 (30) Total 30 23 33 29 115

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 9 Table 6. Number of stories (and percentages) for each network by balance of views of the sources used for news exclusively about Latinos

Network Balance of views ABC CBS NBC CNN Totals All of one opinion 11 (37) 6 (26) 10 (30) 7 (24) 34 (30) Mostly one opinion 2 (7) 2 (9) 4 (12) 4 (14) 12 (10) Mix of opinions (none >75%) 5 (17) 7 (30) 5 (15) 4 (14) 21 (18) Not applicable 12 (40) 8 (35) 14 (42) 14 (48) 48 (42) Total 30 23 33 29 115

NAHJ believes the high number of Latino Latinos, often portrayed in groups. The stories less than 30 seconds long was a major following section explains these findings. reason why such a large percentage contained no Identifiable Latinos are individuals who sources and viewpoints. This type of coverage is appear in a story and who we can deduce are problematic because it lacks depth and is one- Latino. They are either interviewed or individu- dimensional. NAHJ encourages the networks to ally shown and do not necessarily have to be increase the amount of coverage and time devot- named or speak on camera. ed to Latino stories that includes diverse sources For example, Alex Rodriguez is counted as and viewpoints. an identifiable Latino in a story about his trade to the New York Yankees. He did not speak in Presence and Voices the story but was shown. Overall, 34 percent of the 115 Latino stories of Latinos on Camera in 2004 featured two or more identifiable This year, NAHJ examined and counted the Latinos, 46 percent showed only one, and number of identifiable Latinos in Latino stories, 20 percent showed none (see Table 7).This the number of Latinos sources in these stories and means that 66 percent of Latino stories the number of stories that included unidentifiable featured, at best, one Latino.5

Table 7. Number (and percentages) of stories with individual Latinos on camera

Number by Network news story ABC CBS NBC CNN Totals none 5 (17) 4 (17) 7 (21) 7 (24) 23 (20) 1 15 (50) 9 (39) 14 (42) 15 (52) 53 (46) 2 4 (13) 4 (17) 3 (9) 3 (10) 14 (12) 3 or more 6 (20) 6 (26) 9 (27) 4 (13) 25 (22) Total number of stories 30 23 33 29 115

10 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 Table 8. Number (and percentages) of individual Latinos on camera and their type of presence

Network

ABC CBS NBC CNN Totals Image/Voice 32 (70) 23 (56) 41 (73) 20 (49) 116 (63) Image/No Voice 14 (30) 18 (44) 15 (27) 20 (49) 67 (37) No Voice/No Image (mentioned) ------1 (2) 1 (<1) Total 46 41 56 41 184

Unidentifiable Latinos many that has come to marginalize issues and coverage affecting the Latino community. This report also examined the use of unidentifiable Latinos in each story. Unidentifiable Locations Latinos are shown in large groups, such as undocumented immigrants crossing the border The networks aired 115 stories about Latinos or groups on a crowded city street. They do in 2004. Of these, 72 were longer than one not speak on camera and are not individually minute. Fifteen stories originated in California, named. another 16 in Washington, D.C., nine in south- Altogether, 47 out of 115 Latino stories western states, six in Florida, four in New York (41 percent) featured unidentified groups of and three in Texas. Latinos. Of the 47 stories, 31 (66 percent) More stories originated from states like featured group shots of immigrants. California due to their large Latino populations. The high percentage of stories featuring The Latino population grew 58 percent from unidentified groups of Latinos is problematic. 1990 to 2000 nationwide and 14 percent from Most images are of mass illegal border cross- 2000 to 2004. Latinos now have a significant ings, providing the viewing audience with a presence in states like North Carolina and cities stereotypical image that has come to be like Atlanta, places not previously known for associated with coverage of Latinos. For many, having large Latino communities. These images of mass illegal border crossings are communities now exist throughout the United threatening. Several anchors used terms like States and network news should reflect this “pouring in” to describe these images. NAHJ is reality. concerned that this repeated image is one of

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 11 PART 2. Critical Viewing of Latino Stories

In this section, NAHJ examines additional immigration. and more critical characteristics of the portrayal Other story topics about Latinos also focused of Latinos on the network evening news. NAHJ on the impact of immigration, such as stories found that immigration was the central theme in about the Hispanic vote. However, most stories much of the networks’ coverage of Latinos, did not address whether Latino immigrants were regardless of story topic. making a positive contribution to society. In 2003 several stories, including a number of human-interest stories, focused on the Latino Soldiers: Patriots and Victims positive contributions made by Latinos to our In 2004, several human-interest stories pro- society. Several featured immigrant success filed Latino soldiers, particularly those who died stories. Others profiled sacrifices made by in combat. Most stories framed these soldiers Latino soldiers. In contrast, Latinos were mostly as heroes and patriots who sacrificed for their viewed as problem people who were a burden country. on society in 2004. The profile of Latino soldiers was a new topic in coverage of Latinos in 2003. The number Immigration of stories profiling Latino soldiers, however, Immigration, particularly undocumented declined last year. immigration, defined news coverage of Latinos in 2004. Many stories focused on the effort to Stories about Latino soldiers included: curb undocumented immigration. Images of undocumented immigrants crossing the U.S.- A profile of Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Mexico border was a common visual in most Gutierrez, one of the first soldiers to die stories. Undocumented immigrants were in Iraq as a result of friendly fire. portrayed as invaders threatening our nation’s Residents of San Diego, Texas, grieving well-being. the loss of two soldiers, Amancio Perez In contrast, several stories portrayed undocu- and Ruben Valdez. mented immigrants as victims in 2003 while other stories addressed the economic and polit- The sacrifice of the Figueroa family. ical impact of immigration. Armando Figueroa takes care of his three Overall, immigration made up 40 of the 115 children while his wife Angelina completes Latino stories (34.7 percent). Many stories her tour of duty in Iraq. focused on President Bush’s proposal for a new temporary worker program. Other immigration The networks aired several short stories on stories included: the court martial of staff sergeant Camilo Mejia. Mejia was on trial for desertion after declaring Government flights to repatriate undocu- himself a conscientious objector, refusing to mented workers deep into Mexico, return to duty in Iraq. These stories did not making it harder for them to attempt explore why Mejia deserted. another crossing. Efforts by Cubans and Dominicans to migrate to the United States and Puerto The Potential Role of Latinos in Politics Rico by sea on inner tubes and overcrowd- Inexplicably, the networks covered fewer ed vessels, often with tragic results. stories about Latinos in politics and elections in The discovery of undocumented immigrants 2004, even though it was a presidential election left by smugglers in a safe house in a year. The networks aired 12 stories in 2003 and residential neighborhood in Phoenix. 10 stories in 2004. Several stories framed Latino voters as swing Many of these stories showed large groups votes in the presidential election. Network of undocumented immigrants crossing the reporters often used Spanish to frame their border illegally. Others showed Border Patrol stories, either by sprinkling a few words of agents making mass arrests. Several anchors Spanish in their reports or by showing candi- and reporters used terms such as “pouring in” dates attempting to connect with Latino voters and “flood” to describe undocumented by speaking the language. Election stories

12 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 focused on the campaign strategies to attract mented immigrants risk their lives to enter the more Hispanic voters, as opposed to examining country illegally. issues affecting them. This theme was also mentioned in describing These stories treated Hispanic voters as a achievements in stories about President Bush’s monolithic group. They did not examine the dif- nomination of Carlos Gutierrez to be Commerce ferent voting patterns that exist among Hispanic Secretary and Alberto Gonzales to be U.S. voters. In short, the networks’coverage showed Attorney General. In 2003, the theme of the a lack of understanding about the Hispanic American dream was featured in several human- community. One reporter made an unfortunate interest stories profiling Latino soldiers who mistake by saying that Sen. John Kerry would died in combat, as well as in stories examining have to learn how to “dance Mariachi” if he the impact of immigrants on the economic and wanted to attract more Latino voters. Mariachi is political landscape. Several of these stories por- a genre of music, not a dance move. trayed Latinos as making positive contributions In addition, the networks did not air any to society. follow-up stories examining the impact of the In 2004, however, many Latino stories Latino vote in the 2004 presidential elections. mentioned the American dream but did not focus on the positive contributions immigrants or Latinos made to society. Too many stories The American Dream portrayed them as living on the fringes of U.S. The American dream was a primary theme society. for many stories about Latinos. This theme was NAHJ is concerned that the networks rely central in stories about Latino soldiers who died too often on convenient themes and fail to in combat in Iraq or to explain why undocu- provide more substantive coverage.

PART 3. Other Representations of Latinos in the News in 2004

In researching Latino stories on the networks’ While stories about Latinos were scarce on nightly news, we found that 517 stories featured the network news, the Latino presence in non- Latinos or Latino issues. Of these, 115 were Latino related stories was only slightly better. centrally and exclusively about Latinos. We Out of 16,000 news stories that aired in have already examined these stories in the pre- 2004, 265, or 1.7 percent, featured Latinos as vious sections. interviewed sources in reports not involving the Latino community or Latino issues. That figure Of the 402 remaining stories: was 1.8 percent in 2003. Stories about homeland security or the war in Iraq made up 32 per- 65 centrally involved Latinos, but were not cent of these stories, the most of any story exclusively about them. topic. 31 involved issues important to the Latino Of the 65 stories centrally, but not exclusively community (such as immigration policy or about Latinos, 45 percent were about homeland the No Child Left Behind Act) but did not security, with many involving General Ricardo explicitly feature Latinos or a Latino per- Sanchez or suspected terrorist José Padilla. spective. In addition, 45 percent were about homeland security with many involving General Ricardo 265 featured Latinos as news sources (inter- Sanchez or suspected terrorist José Padilla. views) in stories not involving the Latino For example, coverage of the government’s community or Latino issues. enemy combatant policy often mentioned 41 mentioned Latinos in passing. Padilla, but did not focus on him.

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 13 PART 4. Comparisons with Two Sample Weeks of News Coverage

In the following section, we examine the por- Topics trayal of Latinos during two typical composite Out of 115 stories that aired during these news weeks. The composite weeks were two weeks, elections and politics received the derived from news broadcasts in 2004 that were most coverage with 25 stories (22 percent). The not dominated by a particular topic, such as the second most common topic was business and war in Iraq. We selected the weeks of February economics with 16 stories (14 percent), followed 16-20, 2004 and March 1-5, 2004 to examine.6 by crime and homeland security, each with The report found that Latinos were virtually 15 stories (13 percent), and the topic of U.S. non-existent during these composite weeks. domestic government with 14 stories (12 percent). These five topics represented 74 percent of all news stories that aired during the composite weeks (see Table 9).

Table 9. Number (percentage of network totals) and seconds of stories by topic during sample week.

Topic Network ABC CBS NBC CNN Totals

Secs/ Secs/ Secs/ Secs/ Topic n (%) topic n (%) topic n (%) topic n (%) topic n (%) Secs/% Per topic Arts, Culture ------1 (3) 270 1 (1) 270 (2) Buss, Econ 2 (8) 160 3 (10) 44 2 (7) 19 9 (26) 714 16 (14) 937 (9) Calamities - - 2 (7) 139 1 (4) 26 - - 3 (3) 165 (2) Celeb/Entmt ------1 (3) 28 1 (1) 28 (<1) Crime 4 (17) 520 3 (10) 303 2 (7) 130 6 (17) 1422 15 (13) 2375 (22) Elections/Politics 7 (29) 578 6 (21) 526 7 (26) 657 5 (14) 576 25 (22) 2337 (22) Govt: Domestic 2 (8) 289 5 (17) 445 4 (15) 352 3 (9) 210 14 (12) 1296 (12) Govt: Foreign 2 (8) 134 2 (7) 230 2 (7) 140 1 (3) 23 7 (6) 527 (5) Health/Med/Sci 3 (13) 356 2 (7) 182 2 (7) 254 2 (6) 39 9 (8) 831 (8) Homeland Secty 4 (17) 163 4 (14) 178 5 (19) 455 2 (6) 171 15 (13) 967 (9) Human interest - - 1 (3) 158 1 (4) 60 1 (3) 270 3 (3) 488 (4) Sports ------2 (6) 447 2 (2) 447 (4) Interntl affairs - - 1 (3) 25 1 (4) 133 2 (6) 39 4 (3) 197 (2) Totals 24 2200 29 2230 27 2226 35 4209 115 10865 (100%)

The majority of stories that aired during the During the sample weeks, elections and composite weeks and the majority of Latino sto- politics was the most common topic covered ries fell under a narrow range of topics. Even so, (22 percent of stories). Among Latino stories, important differences exist (see Table 10). elections and politics ranked fourth (9 percent). Immigration ranked first among Latino sto- Business and economics ranked second (14 per- ries, making up 34 percent of coverage. This cent) during the sample weeks but was absent issue was not covered during the two sample from the top story topics for Latinos. weeks NAHJ examined.

14 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 Table 10. Top Four Topics for Latino and Sample Weeks’ Stories

Sample Weeks’ Stories Latino Stories Rank Topic N (%) Rank Topic N (%) 1 Elections/Politics 25 22) 1 Immigration 40 (34.7) 2 Business/Economics 16 (14) 2 Human Interest 14 (12.2) 3 *Crime 15 (13) 3 Homeland Security 12 (10.4) *Homeland Security 15 (13) 4 U.S. Domestic Govmnt. 14 (12) 4 Elections/Politics 10 (8.7)

* Tied in rank 3.

Latino Faces and Voices Latino Anchors/Reporters Latinos were nearly absent from coverage Latino network correspondents and anchors when we examined the two composite sample were virtually absent from the two sample weeks. Out of these 115 stories, only two were weeks NAHJ examined. Out of 115 stories about Latinos, and only two featured Latinos as from these two sample weeks, only three were news sources. filed by Latino reporters. In comparison, the CNN featured two stories about baseball 115 stories about Latinos that appeared on the player Alex Rodríguez and his trade to the New network news in 2004, only six were filed by York Yankees. In addition, a gay man named Latino reporters. Daniel Hernández appeared as a news source During the composite sample weeks, ABC on a CNN story discussing same sex marriage. and CNN did not air a story with a Latino Patrick Guerrero, executive director of the Log anchor or reporter. CBS had two Latino Cabin Republicans, appeared as a source in an reporters, Jim Acosta and Vince Gonzales. ABC story about gay marriage. Neither covered stories exclusively about Latinos. NBC’s Carl Quintanilla appeared covering an election story.

PART 5. A 10-Year Retrospect

For this 10-year retrospect, we reviewed a limited framework. NAHJ’s analysis has NAHJ’s Brownout Reports from 1995 through become more in-depth over subsequent 2004. (NAHJ began including CNN in 2000.) reports. For example, we now specify how The analysis reveals consistent patterns in the Latinos are portrayed and determine the points networks’ coverage of Latinos. of view expressed in these stories, elements In the 10 years that NAHJ has been conduct- missing from previous studies. ing the annual Brownout Report, the networks Using the Vanderbilt archive to conduct have failed to advance the story of immigration. our 10-year evaluation, we analyzed 30 Latino Immigrants have continuously been framed stories in 1995 and 2004 to compare how either as burdens on society or as victims in coverage has changed. pursuit of the American dream. The 10-Year Patterns A Closer Look at the News From 1995 to 2004, the networks aired an Coverage in 1995 estimated 140,000 stories. Of those, only 1,201 NAHJ published the first Brownout Report in stories, or 0.85 percent, were about Latinos, 1996. The report examined Latino stories within an average of 120 stories a year.

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 15 In nine of 10 years, Latino stories made up little about the people at the center of this story less than 1 percent of all network news stories. – the immigrants themselves. Who are they? While the results are dismal, they could be Who are their employers? Have any employers worse. The number of stories about Latinos may of undocumented immigrants targeted by feder- have been even lower than what NAHJ had al authorities? What towns and cities do many of reported. NAHJ has strengthened the report’s these immigrants come from? What are the con- methodology in recent years to determine ditions that lead migrants to leave their home- coverage of Latinos more accurately. Despite lands for the United States? this, the network coverage continues to These questions and others are seldom dis- marginalize the Latino community. cussed or examined. Instead, immigration has been viewed largely as an economic and social threat to the nation. Topics The main focus of the networks’ coverage of Latinos during the past 10 years continues to be Political Coverage immigration (mostly illegal immigration) and Political coverage of Latinos has lacked dur- crime. Since the report’s inception, the net- ing the past 10 years considering the increasing works have aired 218 stories about immigration role Latino voters have played in recent elec- and 218 stories about crime. Once again, these tions. The most alarming shortcoming of politi- numbers may be higher if we used our current cal coverage has been the lack of substantive methodology. Combined, these two topics stories addressing important Latino issues. made up 36 percent of the network’s coverage Latinos are often treated as commodities to be of Latinos during the past 10 years. The third bought and traded by political candidates. most covered topic, election and politics, fin- Most stories feature political candidates ished a distant third with 90 stories. attempting to speak Spanish. Too much time is spent showing this political gimmick and not enough time exploring issues affecting the com- Coverage munity. Crime and immigration have defined the net- In addition, these stories lump Latinos works’ coverage of Latinos. This is problematic together to form the “Latino vote” – a voting because the networks have marginalized Latinos block that is non-existent due to the political by relegating coverage of the community to a diversity among Latino groups. Historically, few topics. political stories have focused either on the Even more disappointing is the failure of the efforts of candidates to woo Latino voters or on networks to advance their coverage of the which candidate was ahead in Latino polls. Latino community. The central themes the net- Occasionally, prominent Latino politicians (such works use to cover the community have not as Bill Richardson) were covered by the net- changed much from 1995 to 2004. works, but stories addressing political issues For instance, several stories in 1995 focused relevant to the Latino community are virtually on the efforts of the Border Patrol and the gov- non-existent. ernment to curb illegal immigration. Many showed images of unidentified undocumented Sources and Views immigrants crossing the border and getting One positive pattern that emerged from the arrested. Several stories described how undocu- 1995 sample was the use of sources in lengthier mented immigrants risked everything for a bet- stories about Latinos. Of the 30 stories we ter life in the United States. Others described viewed, 26 cited at least two sources (12 cited undocumented immigrants as burdens to soci- four or more). This means that the majority of ety. Ten years later, the story remains the stories included several information sources. unchanged. Also, close to half of the stories from ABC and In 1995, several stories aired efforts to curb NBC provided a mix of perspectives from the benefits to undocumented workers in California. consulted sources. (The same was not true for In 2004, the networks reported on efforts to curb CBS.) benefits to undocumented workers in Arizona. |In 1995, immigration and border security were a major issue. The same was true last year. Latino Reporters and Anchors Despite more than 200 stories about immi- In a full decade of analysis, the presence of gration over the past 10 years, we have learned Latinos as reporters has been dismal, with little

16 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 change over time. Table 11 illustrates the anchors in our cumulative analysis: Giselle Latino reporters identified in each Brownout Fernandez in the first year of the report and Report since 1996. We have noted two Latina Elizabeth Vargas in the most recent report.

Table 11. Latino reporters covering Latino-related news: 1995-2004

Year Name Network Number of Total number of stories each stories per year 1995 John Quiñones ABC 1 1995: 1 1996 Diana González CBS 1 1996: 4 Antonio Mora ABC 1 John Quiñones ABC 1 Art Rascón CBS 1 1997 Jim Avila NBC 2 1997: 6 Vince Gonzáles CBS 1 Antonio Mora ABC 1 John Quiñones ABC 1 Art Rascón CBS 1 1998 Jim Avila NBC 1 1998: 4 Art Rascón CBS 3 1999 Jim Avila NBC 3 1999: 7 Vince Gonzáles CBS 3 Soledad O’Brien NBC 1 2000 None - - 2000: 0 2001 Vince González CBS 2 2001: 4 María Hinojosa CNN 2 2002 Jim Avila NBC 1 Ed Lavandera CNN 1 John Quiñones ABC 1 2002: 4 Lucia Newman CNN 1 2003 Jim Avila NBC 4 2003: 6 Vince Gonzáles CBS 2 Miguel Marquez CNN 1 2004 Vince Gonzáles CBS 1 2004: 6 Gustavo Mariel* NBC 1 Lori Montenegro* NBC 1 Mariela Salgado* NBC 1 Angie Sandoval* NBC 1 Thelma Gutiérrez CNN Total 1995-2004: 42

Geographic Pegs Census Bureau points to the growth of the Hispanic population all across the country, news The final repeated pattern in the networks’ about Latinos continues to be portrayed as coverage of Latinos is the predominance of Los occurring in largely Latino areas – Los Angeles, Angeles and Washington, D.C. as locations for D.C., Florida and the Southwest. the plurality of Latino stories. Even though the

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 17 Conclusions

Latinos now make up one of every seven U.S. For example, coverage of Latinos and residents, according to a recent U.S. Census politics in 2004, which inexplicably declined, report. In addition, Latinos accounted for half of focused on the presidential candidates’ posi- the country’s population growth between July of tions and strategies to reach Latino voters but 2003 and 2004. These staggering figures should failed to examine issues affecting the com- be a wake-up call for the networks and other munity. news media. Another major concern is the lack of overall NAHJ will leave it to others to discuss the time devoted to coverage of Latinos, including business opportunities the networks are missing a high percentage of stories 30 seconds or less. by not covering the Latino community. Our As a result, much of the coverage was not assertion is that the news media are failing to substantive in 2004. cover one of the most important stories of our NAHJ believes the dearth of Latinos working time. at the networks is a major reason for the virtual A few decades from now, people of color will absence of Latino coverage on the evening make up half the U.S. population. The country is news. NAHJ has no idea how many Latino jour- undergoing an historic demographic shift, yet, nalists work at the networks. They have refused coverage has failed to explain this change and to make those figures public, despite repeated its impact on our society. We fear viewers requests. At a time when journalists are fighting watching the network news have learned little for more openness in government, we ask our about the Latino community since we issued colleagues to make public their newsroom our first Network Brownout Report in 1996. employment figures. What viewers have learned is that Latinos While we are critical of the news networks, are problem people living on the fringes of we are also eager to help them improve their U.S. society. Rarely do we see stories about the coverage of the community and hire more positive contributions they make. Latino journalists. We respect our colleagues Those who happen to see a Latino story and those NAHJ members working at the net- often watch coverage of undocumented immi- works for their dedication to the profession, and gration that includes images of mass illegal we share their goal of improving the overall border crossings. The issue of immigration has quality of news. This is why we hope this report come to define coverage of Latinos even in will lead to better coverage of the Latino stories on other topics, such as business and community. politics.

18 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 Methodology

The source for the data analyzed in this “undocumented laborers” and “border.” This Brownout Report is the Vanderbilt University list comprised more than 30 descriptors associ- Television News Archives (TNA), which contains ated with Latino society in the US and with videotapes, indexes and summaries of all the Latino surnames. evening news programs transmitted by the Finally, we searched the top 100 “Hispanic” nation’s major television news networks: ABC, last names from the U.S. Census Bureau. These CBS, NBC and CNN. The summaries, accessi- last names were from a 1996 U.S. Census ble via the TNA web site (www.tvnews.vander- Bureau working paper called: Building A bilt.edu), provide the following key descriptors Spanish Surname List for the 1990s: A new for each story archived: 1) network and program Approach to an Old Problem. on which the story aired; 2) date of the news Using these very broad and encompassing program; 3) running title or topic; 4) the name words and last names, the search yielded over of the anchor or studio correspondent who 1,800 stories. Each story included the following introduced the story; 5) the city where it origi- five descriptors: 1) network and program, 2) nated; 6) the field correspondent(s) who report- date, 3) running title or topic, with a live link to ed it; 7) an abstract, including the names and the story abstract; 4) beginning and end time titles of any persons interviewed; 8) beginning, and duration. We downloaded all 1,800+ stories time, ending time, and duration; 9) the from the TNA archives into an Excel file. reporters’ last names. In the second round of selection, we Using the TNA’s powerful search capabilities assessed the TNA’s abstracts of each story for available via the Internet, we input key words to two key variables: central involvement of Latinos select stories related to Latinos transmitted via (CIL), and exclusivity. the four networks during the year 2004 (see CIL establishes what, if any, specific role below). We reviewed all stories containing the Latinos played in a news story. We assigned key words for possible selection for the each of the 1,000+ stories one of the following Brownout analysis.i codes: To identify the stories related to Latinos and Latino issues, we used some of the same 1 = Primary newsmaker role: One or more words and criteria as in previous studies, and Latinos clearly played a central role in the cre- enhanced the process. We proceeded as ation, development, or resolution of a news follows: issue being aired. The topic of the story is also We searched for stories containing the gen- relevant or centered on the Latino individual or eral and most important Latino designations: his/her community, business, or organization. If “Latino,” “Latin-Americans,” “Hispanic,” and one of the newsmakers is Latino, but the story “Hispanic-Americans.” We obtained the vast showed no visuals of him or her, we still coded majority of stories for the first phase of the it as centrally involving Latinos. selection from this search. Searches using the next round of key words produced the remain- 2 = Secondary for relevant specific issues: The ing stories. topic is pertinent to Latinos and/or a Latino We prepared a broad list of specific Latino community, but not explicitly or primarily about subgroups, such as “Cuban,” “Cuban them. The story mentions how a legal case, law American,” “Puerto Rican,” “Colombian,” or pending legislation may or will affect diverse Ecuadorian,” “Chilean.” communities, among them Latinos. The accom- We searched the countries of origin of Latino panying graphic may show a person, neighbor- groups, such as “Puerto Rico,” “Mexico,” hood, or other image that could be explicitly “Cuba.” identified as Latino. If the story focuses primari- We prepared a comprehensive list of key- ly on the effects on Latinos, or Latinos are key words such as “bilingual education,” ”crime,” players, the code is 1.

i For a full list of the key words used in the TNA search, contact NAHJ.

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 19 3 = Mainstreaming: Regardless of topic, one or After excluding all the news stories classified more Latinos (excluding the reporter) appear in as CIL 5 (e.g., those about Latin America, Spain medium or close-up shots and speak on cam- and other matters for which the key words were era. The main difference between categories 2 in the abstract yet had no reference to Latinos and 3 is that the topic here is not specifically in the United States), we reduced the sample to relevant to a Latino or Latino community. 517 stories coded for the topics indicated in Typically, this type of story involves a person-on- Tables 1 and 2. the street who comments on a non-Latino Next, we selected the stories in which aspect of the story. It could also be a sports Latinos were centrally involved or which were story in which a Latino player is mentioned, but exclusively about Latinos and Latino-related not featured. The key is that a Latino is part of issues. A total of 115 stories fit these criteria. the story, but not necessarily for being Latino. We purchased videotapes of those 115 stories If a story features a Latino because he or she from the Vanderbilt University TNA. We based is Latino, then it should be coded as 1 or 2 the first set of quantitative analysis on the view- depending on the centrality of his or her ing and coding of these 115 stories via video, involvement. then did a second set of quantitative analysis to assess the use of Latinos as reporters and the 4 = Passing: The stories under this category are number of sources and their balance of views. those that show up in the index search, but in For the qualitative analysis, we again which for the actual story Latinos or Latino com- watched the videotapes of the 115 stories that munities have no bearing as described by any were centrally and exclusively about Latinos. of the previous three categories. For example, This time we did not code the videos, but the accident/ceremony/event took place in the instead observed the framing and development Mexican neighborhood of Chicago, but nothing of each story to look for trends and patterns. else is mentioned about the community there. NAHJ selected 30 stories from 1995 that The word “Mexican” caused the story to show were centrally and exclusively about Latinos up but, lacking any other context, it is only a and longer than a minute and a half. We then passing mention. purchased from the Vanderbilt University TV archives the tapes with these news segments 5 = None: The story showed up because of key and performed quantitative analysis to asses the word search only, but is not related to U.S. number of sources and balance of views in each Latinos. story. NAHJ then performed qualitative analysis by viewing the tapes to observe the framing Exclusivity establishes if the story was exclu- and development of each story. sively about Latinos or Latino-related issues. If The TNA’s abstracts were the unit of analysis so, a code 1 was given for this variable. Stories for the first phase of selection of stories and for coded CIL 1 could be coded 1 or 2 for exclusiv- the coding of CIL, exclusivity, and topics. An ity. By default definition, stories coded CIL 2, additional unit of analysis – as well as a source 3 or 4 could be coded only as 2 for exclusivity. for enhancing the information needed for cod- Stories coded 5 for CIL were not coded for ing – was each story’s transcript, obtained from exclusivity, and we gave them no further consid- the Lexis-Nexis archives. Thus, while the individ- eration. ual news story remained the basic unit of analy- Two trained NAHJ staff members coded for sis, the source for obtaining information shifted CIL and exclusivity. They agreed on over 90 per- as needed from running headlines and abstracts cent of the codes given to the stories. They to transcripts and videos. discussed discrepancies with each other and, For the qualitative phase of the study, the when necessary, with the principal investigator. unit of analysis was each story’s video segment. Thus we ensured very high inter-coder reliability for all the variables.

20 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 Limitations

All efforts were made to find and include the who do not have Spanish surnames. We may universe of network news stories related to have missed stories about them, too. However, Latinos. That is why NAHJ conducted multiple we attempted to capture any of those stories category searches of the index of Vanderbilt with other key words. University’s Television News Archives. Even so, We also acknowledge the possibility of sto- we acknowledge that we may have overlooked ries that were not indexed with key words relat- Latino stories that were not indexed by using ed to Latinos, but were about Latinos, nonethe- our search criteria. For example, we looked for less. The only way to capture the full universe of stories that included the top 100 Spanish sur- Latino-related stories would have been to names as listed by the U.S. Census bureau. observe each and every news story that aired in There are thousands of other last names we did 2004, a task not possible given our time and not search. Likewise, there are many Latinos human resources.

End Notes

1. See Commission on the Freedom of the Press, hour of broadcast. Due to deregulation, the A Free and Responsible Press: A General average time of actual news has been Report on Mass Communication: Newspapers, reduced quite notably. Radio, Motion Pictures, Magazines, and Books 4. Here its important to keep in mind that as (University of Chicago Press: Chicago) and with most news stories with field reports, the National Advisory Commission on Civil reporter participates in only part of the story. Disorders, Report of the National Advisory Thus, the air-time of the Latino reporters was Commission on Civil Disorders (Bantam much less than these 14 minutes. Books: New York). 5. For a list of on-camera Hispanics, the net- 2. Estimate based on a conservative calculation works in which they appeared and their of approximately 9 stories per each half-hour voice/no voice role, contact NAHJ or the newscast. The actual number of stories is principle author of this report. most probably larger, possibly 12 stories per half-hour newscast for a total of over 20,000 6. For the sample weeks of news coverage, we stories. When calculation is based on the decided to view two composite weeks of estimate of 20,000 stories, the percentage of network news, meaning that we randomly stories about Latinos and Latino issues is chose a network to watch each night during much lower, i.e., only 0.57%. this two week period (Feb 16-20 and Mar 1- 5). For example, we randomly assigned CNN 3. We base these numbers on an estimate of 18 to February 16th, thus we watched that news minutes of news per half-hour program of the broadcast for that date. Since we only had three broadcast networks and 36 minutes of four networks, we watched eight nights of news for CNN’s hour-long program. These coverage in order for all networks to be seen time estimates are derived from the coding of equally, thus missing one night of broadcast- the sample week discussed in section 4 in this ing for each week. Each network was thus report. These time estimates are similar to assigned to two nights over the two week those found with last year’s data. In Brownout period that we chose. Our hope was to com- Reports prior to 2004, the time estimates pile two weeks of general news coverage. were based on 24 minutes of news per half-

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 21 About NAHJ

The National Association of Hispanic NAHJ is continually adding to its list of excit- Journalists (NAHJ) is dedicated to the recogni- ing programs and services. They include: tion and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. Established in April 1984, National Convention and Career Expo NAHJ created a national voice and unified Mid-career and professional development vision for all Hispanic journalists. programs NAHJ is governed by an 18-member board of directors that consists of executive officers The Parity Project, which concentrates and regional directors who represent geograph- efforts in target cities to increase the pres- ic areas of the United States and the Caribbean. ence and influence of Hispanics in news- The national office is located in the National rooms Press Building in Washington, DC. NAHJ has 2,300 members, including working Online career and referral services journalists, journalism students, other media- Scholarships and student journalism related professionals and academic scholars. workshops and internships

The goals of the association are: Regional workshops and seminars 1. To organize and provide mutual support Journalism awards for excellence and for Hispanics involved in the gathering or dis- leadership semination of news. Internship and fellowship opportunities 2. To encourage and support the study and practice of journalism and communications by Hispanics. For further information about NAHJ, please 3. To foster and promote fair treatment of contact the national office at 1-888-346-NAHJ Hispanics by the media. or via email at [email protected]. NAHJ welcomes your support 4. To further the employment and career and participation. The future of our association development of Hispanics in the media. lies in the efforts and achievements of our mem- 5. To foster a greater understanding of bers. Hispanic media professionals’ special cultural identity, interests, and concerns.

22 NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 Hoja Informativa de la NAHJ

La Asociación Nacional de Periodistas La NAHJ está expandiendo sus programas y Hispanos (NAHJ) se dedica al reconocimiento y servicios constantemente, entre los que se al desarrollo profesional de los hispanos en la destacan: prensa. Fundada en abril del 1984, la NAHJ consti- Una convención nacional y una feria de tuye una voz a nivel nacional y una visión unida empleo para todos los periodistas hispanos. Programas de desarrollo profesional La NAHJ está regida por una junta directiva de 18 miembros, compuesta por oficiales ejecu- El Proyecto Paridad, el cual busca concen- tivos y directores regionales que representan trar esfuerzos en ciertas ciudades selec- zonas geográficas de Estados Unidos y el cionadas para incrementar la presencia y la Caribe. Su sede se encuentra en el Edificio influencia de los hispanos en las redac- Nacional de Prensa, en Washington, D.C. ciones y los noticieros La NAHJ cuenta con unos 2,300 miembros, incluyendo periodistas activos, estudiantes de Servicios exclusivos en la red para los afilia- periodismo, académicos y otros profesionales dos para impulsar sus carreras periodísticas relacionados con los medios de comuni- Becas, talleres de entrenamiento, y pasan- cación. tías para estudiantes de periodismo

Las metas de la NAHJ son: Talleres y seminarios regionales

1. Organizar y proveer una red de apoyo Galardones para premiar la excelencia peri- mutuo a los periodistas hispanos dedicados a la odística y servicio al público recopilación y a la diseminación de noticias. Pasantías y becas postgrado 2. Fomentar y apoyar entre los hispanos el estudio y el desempeño del periodismo y de la comunicación. Para más información acerca de la NAHJ, 3. Impulsar y promover el trato justo de los favor de comunicarse al 1-888-346-NAHJ ó hispanos en los medios de información. envíe un email a [email protected]. La NAHJ le agradece su apoyo y participación. El futuro de 4. Promover el empleo y el desarrollo profe- nuestra organización depende de los esfuerzos sional de los hispanos en los medios de y los logros de nuestros afiliados. difusión. 5. Fomentar un entendimiento mayor de la identidad cultural, los intereses y las preocupa- ciones de los profesionales hispanos que traba- jan en los medios.

NETWORK BROWNOUT 2005 23 Board Listing

Board of Directors

Veronica Villafañe Cindy E. Rodriguez Gary Piña President General At-Large Officer Region 5 Director Anchor/Reporter Columnist Arlington News Editor San Jose Mercury News The Denver Post Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Rafael A. Olmeda Roberto Vizcón Margarita Bauza Vice-President, Print Spanish-language At-Large Region 6 Director Senior Reporter Officer Work Life Reporter South Florida Sun-Sentinel General Manager The Detroit Free Press (Fort Lauderdale) WMTO Telemundo 40 (Orlando) Elizabeth Aguilera Manny Medrano Ruth E. Merino Region 7 Director Vice-President, Broadcast Region 1 Director Reporter Legal Affairs Corresp. Training Coordinator The Denver Post ABC Network News El Nuevo Dia Jacqueline Llamas Espinoza Sam Diaz Daniel Roca Region 8 Director Financial Officer Region 2 Director Anchor/ Reporter Technology Reporter Freelance Producer/Director KWHY-KVEA (Telemundo- San Jose Mercury News Los Angeles) Elaine Rivera Elizabeth Zavala Region 3 Director Bethsaida George Secretary Freelance Reporter Student Representative Assistant Metro Editor Student The Dallas Morning News Geraldine M. Berrios Brooklyn College Region 4 Director Lavonne Luquis Reporter Juan Gonzalez Online At-Large Officer The Miami Herald Ex-officio Director of Programming Columnist AOL Latino New York Daily News

National Association of Hispanic Journalists 1000 National Press Building Washington, DC 20045-2100 (202) 662-7145 • FAX (202) 662-7144 Web: www.nahj.org • E-mail: [email protected]